


Ice Candy

by lunartoki



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-01 03:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12147321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunartoki/pseuds/lunartoki
Summary: Yuuri Katsuki tries to be subtle in ogling Victor Nikiforov at the gym.Key word being "tries."





	1. Chapter 1

Yuuri Katsuki stood before one of the most intimidating buildings on university campus. 

The Gym. 

Not just any gym, of course. The school’s pride and joy when trying to lure prospective students. Ten million dollars worth. 

In addition to the usual array of cardio and weight machines which occupied not one, but two floors there was another floor packed with several group classes. Other floors included a full indoor running track and a four-court gymnasium where games of basketball, tennis, badminton, and volleyball could be going on simultaneously. 

After a hard workout, you could have your pick of the dozens of showers and hot tubs to relax. Finally on your way out of the gym, you could grab a smoothie or gourmet sandwich. 

All of which was included as part of the massive tuition and fees Yuuri had to pay, or rather will be paying for the next decade or so in student loan payments. 

And finally, he was going to take advantage of the high quality fitness recreation center his university loved to tout as a selling perk in the brochures. 

Yuuri swiped his student ID and pushed through the turnstyle. He had actually rehearsed his movements so he didn’t look like a complete newbie. He was already self conscious due to his chubby status. It seemed like suddenly everyone around him was in the best shape ever. 

Except him. 

Yuuri walked into the men’s changing room and threw his backpack into a locker. He had already changed before coming since the last thing he wanted was to be shirtless among his chiseled male counterparts. 

How was everyone so ripped? When did these guys find the time to work out? Or avoid stress eating during midterms or finals?

Yuuri huffed his way up a flight of stairs and hopped onto an elliptical machine. He’d start off easy, take it slow. 

He put on his headphones and turned up some music to distract himself. He really didn’t want to be here. It was as if he could feel all the judgment from everyone else bearing down on him. 

That’s why he had tried to pick a time when most people would be at dinner. Still, there were plenty of people working out around him. The thought of food had him imagining his mom’s special katsudon dish. 

At least his university also had a state of the art salad bar. 

Using the elliptical was boring though. Even the special workout playlist Phichit had created for him wasn’t enough to stop his eyes from wandering. 

He had picked one of the machines facing the indoor running track. His eyes naturally followed a few joggers. No one seemed to be struggling. 

_When am I going to reach that point?_

Yuuri thought to himself and was about to refocus when a long ribbon of silver sailed by. 

He couldn’t help himself. Yuuri tried to be subtle and kept his body moving, but his eyes followed the man dressed in black shorts and a loose top. His thick ponytail waved behind him like a flag. 

The runner was too far away to see, but anyone with hair **that** silver and a body that **tight** couldn’t be ugly. Right?!

The probably not handsome at all runner was getting closer to Yuuri now. 

_Don’t be a creep. Keep your face neutral. He could be ugly._

The runner was right at the edge of Yuuri’s peripheral vision. The music from Phichit’s playlist seemed to crescendo, drowning out everything except the figure moving towards him. 

Yuuri refused to move his head to get a good look. He was above that. Probably for the best to just view the guy’s profile than his face full on. 

Just when Yuuri had steeled himself to practice some serious gym etiquette, the runner turned his head to face Yuuri with bright blue eyes and smiled before facing forward again.

Yuuri’s heart stopped and he lost his footing on the elliptical step. 

Because the runner had definitely NOT been ugly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thanks for the kudos and comments. A bit of a longer chapter this time. It's been a while since I watched the anime, but I'm hoping to marathon the episodes soon. Hope you all have a great weekend! :D

Yuuri had mostly recovered from his most epic elliptical collapse. His foot hadn’t just slipped out of the elliptical’s platform and made a small bang. He had lost his balance completely and cried out in surprise before pitching forward, hitting his forehead with a definitely loud bang. 

There was a full second of silence as everyone in the gym seemed to stop what they were doing to stare at him. Burned into this skin, it felt like. 

A staff member had rushed over to check on him. His name tag read “Minami” and his eyes were wide with worry. “Oh my gosh, are you all right? I saw you fall and wanted to make sure you’re okay, I mean, it’s my job to make sure no one gets hurt. I can call it over the radio for aid--”

“NO!” Yuuri shouted. Realizing, his voice had been way too loud, he grimaced. “Sorry, I’m fine. I was just finished with my work out anyway, thanks.” Yuuri couldn’t bear to look over at the indoor track to see if the cause of his accident had seen. 

_This wasn’t a great idea. Why did I even think this would be fine?_

His whole body burned with shame. He couldn’t take it and escaped into the locker room. 

Just an hour ago, he had been optimistic that he could start a new habit to help him get back into shape. He had worked so hard to work up the courage and determination to not let anything make him chicken out. And here he had just made a big fool of himself. 

When he was finally outdoors and away from the gym, Yuuri gulped in breaths of fresh air. He felt so incredibly stupid for feeling this way. Phichit had told him that nobody cared about anyone else in the gym. They were all way too focused on themselves to notice other people. 

Unless said other people caused a scene. 

His anxiety levels were rising and he felt like he had more energy to burn. He couldn’t go back into the gym. So instead, he decided to make the trek to the dining hall across campus. 

~ * ~

  


“Yuuri, over here!” Phichit called from his seat in the dining hall. His friend was sitting in a booth and had two plates filled with everything offered on tonight’s special menu. 

Yuuri tried not to feel jealous and pretended his chicken salad was going to be the best dinner he ever had. “Hey Phichit,” Yuuri sighed and slid across from the international student from Thailand. 

“So how was your work out today? Did my music help pump you up?” Phichit asked eagerly while arranging his plates of food and drinks just so. He took a few photos before zooming in on Yuuri’s plate. “Is that all you’re going to eat?” 

“Yeah, I want to get back to eating healthier. Besides I’m tired of doing a dance just to fit into my pants,” Yuuri joked. “Thanks for the playlist by the way. It was good to listen to.” 

“You’re welcome! Let me know if you want more music recommendations. I can always make more. We should go together next time! I know it’s hard with our different class schedules though.” Phichit pouted but then got up from his seat to slide in next to Yuuri. “Let’s just take a quick selfie. Say cheese!” 

***CLICK***

Yuuri looked at the awkward smile on his face and double chin. He gave Phichit his approval to post it up on social media. “What do you usually do at the gym?”

“Hm, I try to incorporate a little bit of everything. You know, balance between cardio and strength training? I haven’t been to any of the fitness classes yet, but I heard from someone that they’re pretty fun. When are you going to go next? Maybe I can try to go at the same time as you,” Phichit said already pulling up his calendar to check. 

Yuuri had inhaled his salad without realizing it. His fork scraped against the empty bowl sadly. “I think I might have overdone it at the gym. Maybe it was too soon for me to start. I should have probably started with just walking more around campus.” 

“What? Are you sure? Maybe you just didn’t find the right work out to do?” Phichit went back to his original seat and looked at Yuuri with concern. 

Yuuri couldn’t look at Phichit directly. His friend had been super supportive knowing how hard the previous semester had been. “I just--I guess I’m just worried about what others think of me being there. Because you know…” Yuuri gestured to his bulging stomach.  
Phichit’s eyes narrowed as he slammed both hands onto the table. “Did someone say something to you, Yuuri?! Do I need to go make a complaint? Is that person here in the dining hall?” Phichit was rolling up his sleeves and looking around as if he could pick out the culprit. 

Touched by Phichit’s immediate reaction, Yuuri felt the tightness in his chest loosen. The heavy pressure he felt constantly push him down seemed to grow lighter. “Thanks Phichit, but I’m fine. I just fell off a machine and embarrassed myself.” 

He waited for his friend to laugh it off. But Phichit wasn’t like that. Instead, Phichit slid a bunch of his sushi rolls onto Yuuri’s empty plate. “We’ll go together next time. I promise! For now, let’s eat some extra carbs. I’ll go grab more food.” 

Before Yuuri could protest, Phichit was already out of his seat and racing towards the main entree station. 

Damn, how did he get so lucky to have an awesome friend like that? 

It made him want to get back to the gym and try again. Not just because he wanted to maybe catch another glimpse of the silver-haired runner again. Of course not. 

~ * ~

  


Yuuri was way too much of a coward to go back to the gym the same time he did the first time. He wasn’t going to let one embarrassing episode deter him from his fitness goals. 

But he was definitely going to work out when there would be the fewest number of people. And on a college campus, that meant heading to the gym before 8:00am. Unless you were part of a sports team, many students chose to sleep in as much as possible before their first class of the day. 

It sucked, but Yuuri was determined. If he couldn’t relax and do what he needed to do at the gym, then he’d find a different time. He had set a goal for himself and he was going to achieve it. No excuses allowed!

Yuuri did not use the elliptical machine again. It was too soon for that. Instead, he chose a treadmill machine by the windows. Phichit had sent him a running program that slowly trained someone to run a 5k in two months. That seemed reasonable. 

He knew most of his weightloss would come from dieting and not eating so much crap. It was hard though when you lived on a college campus where the food was nationally awarded for years. 

Even though Yuuri had dismissed any fantasy of seeing the silver-haired runner again, he still chose the same floor where the indoor running track was set up to workout when he could have gone elsewhere. 

_I’m such an idiot._

Picking up the pace, Yuuri tried to even out his breathing and focus on his posture. He was twenty-three years old and he was definitely not crushing on someone he had seen for a split second. 

He was definitely not replaying the image of the man smiling at him. 

He was also definitely not trying to figure out how someone could have silver hair and look so young. 

Nor was he thinking about how blue someone’s eyes could be that they stopped his heartbeat for a second. 

Nope. Yuuri Katsuki was cool as a cucumber. 

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts of denial that he didn’t notice someone had taken up a spot on the treadmill next to him. 

_Ugh, who does that? Right next to me?_

There were plenty of empty treadmill machines on the entire floor. Wasn’t there some unspoken rule that you picked the machine not next to someone? Like the whole bathroom stall and urinal rule? 

Yuuri heard the steady thumps of the person’s feet on the conveyor belt. They were picking up speed, definitely running faster than his casual jog. 

Who would even--?! Yuuri took a quick glance to his side and had the sense to hold onto the treadmill’s sides for support. 

Yuuri could keep his cool. He cranked up his music louder and set his lips in a firm line. No handsome stranger was going to distract him. He stared straight ahead and acted like he was totally not bothered at all. 

His plan sort of failed when the reflection from the windows revealed his neighbor catching his eyes and smiling with a wave this time. 

This time, Yuuri remained steady and didn’t fall. He just kept running and ignored the greeting instead, biting the inside of his cheeks hard to stop himself from smiling back like a big goofball.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep this fanfic on the light/silly side, but I have a feeling it might get a bit more intense than I intended. Ah, well. ^^;;

Yuuri managed to finish his jogging workout without tripping. It was short of a miracle because he had been trying very hard to focus on the music and his posture while running. Phichit had recommended that Yuuri try training for a 5k and showed him an app that spaced out your workouts until you could run a 5k comfortably. 

As Yuuri was wiping down the machine to leave it sweat and germ free for the next person, he saw his neighbor was in cool down mode. 

Yuuri couldn’t help but stare at the long, lean legs on display since the bright blue shorts were much shorter than he was used to seeing on guys. Most of the time, he saw guys wear basketball shorts that reached their knees at least. This dude had tight-fitting shorts that cut off right before the groin. 

_Ok, get out of creeper mode._

Yuuri tore his gaze away and hustled to the locker rooms for a quick shower before dinner with Phichit. On his way there, someone waved enthusiastically at him. Minami, a witness to Yuuri’s clumsiness, had a clipboard in his arms and grinned widely. 

Hesitantly, Yuuri waved back feeling awkward but also not wanting to be rude. He scrambled into the men’s changing room. He reached down and pinched the extra fat around his stomach. He couldn’t believe how far he had let himself go. All the late night hours studying and writing papers created an intense hunger. Before he knew it, Yuuri was ordering food late at night all the time. 

A snake of despair slithered into his brain, allowing self-doubt to kick in. What if Yuuri couldn’t lose the extra weight? He had read that many people barely lasted a month on a new workout kick. People fell off the wagon and they never got back on. They lost motivation and became stuck in a loop of starting-stopping-restarting. 

Suddenly, Yuuri’s whole body grew hot and his throat closed up. The warning signs of a “mini-panic attack” as his therapist called the not-full-blown panic attacks. 

_I can handle this. It’s okay._

Yuuri took a few deep breaths and rummaged through his gym bag for a bottle of water. Part of the reason why he was a super senior taking a fifth year was due to taking a “medical leave” from college for a semester. It didn’t really feel like one when all Yuuri did was go back home and spend a few months helping his parents run the family business.   
He had also seen a therapist on a weekly basis until he came back to school. His parents wanted him to attend some form of therapy while at school, but Yuuri didn’t feel it was necessary. He didn’t want to let this anxiety prevent him from doing something as simple as going to school or working out at the gym. Once he learned how to deal with his panic attacks and recognize the spirals of anxiety, Yuuri was determined to fight back and have some sense of a normal school life. 

Yuuri was so wrapped up in trying to calm himself down he didn’t notice the guys around him. He only snapped out of his internal battle when someone spoke to him. 

“Oh excuse me, do you happen to have some body wash I could borrow? I seemed to have forgotten mine,” a light voice said. 

Yuuri barely managed to hold back his laugh. Instead he covered it up by coughing a few times. Standing before him was the silver-haired jogging neighbor but had a ridiculous pink shower cap. He was also was holding a brown dog-shaped loofah. 

What made it more ridiculous was that the man was still in his running outfit. 

“Uh...sure,” Yuuri said coughing some more to cover up his laughter. He pulled out a small body wash bottle, his emergency one in case he ran out of the one he left at the gym. “You can keep it. I have another here.” 

“Ah, wonderful! I’m so glad to find someone so generous,” the stranger gushed. 

Yuuri thought the guy was going to leave then, but his gym crush remained standing there. “Is there something else you’re missing?” Yuuri asked, wondering if the guy also forgot his shampoo. 

After a few moments of silence, the guy extended a hand. “I’m Victor by the way.” He seemed confused, but then his eyes lit up. “Are you new to running?” 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yuuri. And yes, I am. I’m trying to get back into exercising again. I figured I could train up for a 5k run,” Yuuri said. He could hear the lack of confidence in his own voice. Ugh why would a guy like Victor who could clearly run a 5k easily even care? 

Victor crossed his arms and pressed the dog loofah to one cheek. “Hm, you should be careful about the way you land on your feet. If you pound your feet too hard on the ground, you could injure your knees.” 

“Oh really? T-thanks, I didn’t realize I was doing that,” Yuuri stammered. Wait. Did that mean Victor had been watching Yuuri while he was working out? 

“Yes, and it’ll also help if you get proper shoes for running too. You should also try relaxing your hands more. I noticed you were clenching your fists…” Victor launched into a whole stream of running advice making Yuuri feel even more embarrassed. 

As a way to cover up feeling awkward, Yuuri joked: “Victor, you should be my coach with all the advice you’re giving me.” 

“I accept!” 

Wait, what?! Yuuri held up his hands and shook his head. “Oh no, I wasn’t being serious. I just...I didn’t mean…” 

A strong hand squeezed Yuuri’s shoulder as Victor leaned down to look seriously into Yuuri’s eyes. “I will help you train for a 5k. In fact, I heard there’s going to be a 5k for the school three months from now. That’s plenty of time for you to get ready! How about it?” 

“Oh I can’t accept that. I’m sure you’re very busy with your own schedule and classes…” Yuuri trailed off as Victor shoved a cell phone in his face. 

“Let’s exchange numbers and we can work something out. I’m sure we can find the time,” Victor was smiling away and Yuuri couldn’t find himself saying no. Instead, Yuuri entered his phone number. 

“Great, I’ll send you text so you have my number. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Victor said, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement as he walked away. 

Yuuri felt frozen to his spot. What had he just agreed to?!

He needed to tell Phichit immediately.


End file.
